Author: Toganian Liana

AUTHORITIES OPEN CRIMINAL CASE INTO MEDIA-REPORTED ELECTION FRAUD

ARMENPRESS
Feb 26, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS: A spokeswoman for the Office of the
Prosecutor-General, Sona Truzian, said to Armenpress that prosecutors
have opened a criminal investigation into an alleged election fraud
incident, reported by the Armenian Service of the RFE/RL.

In a February 23 report the RFE/RL said during a vote recount in an
electoral precinct 13/10 in Yerevan’s Erebuni district, a man who
presented himself as a prime minister Serzh Sarkisian’s proxy, took
an envelope containing ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian’s votes and
fled the scene in the presence of journalists and an OSCE observers.

Interfax, Russia
Russia & CIS
February 21, 2008

Police not to interfere with opposition protests – Armenia’s
president- elect

YEREVAN Feb 21

Armenia’s President-Elect Serzh Sargsyan, who won the February 19
election, has thanked voters for their support.

"I thank all those who voted for me. But as I said before the
election, I intend to serve as the president of all Armenian
citizens," Sargsyan’s press service quoted him as saying on Thursday.

Some in the opposition are trying to express their discontent over
the election results by provoking violence, Sargsyan said.

"In our country, everyone has the right to freedom of speech and
freedom to express one’s view, but there is no room for disorder and
instability in a democratic country," the ex-premier said.

He insisted that police "will not interfere unless it is necessary to
restore order."

GAGIK JHANGIRIAN AND SMBAT AIVAZIAN UNDER ARREST

A1+
25 February, 2008

On February 25, the Department of Public Relations and Information
of the RA Police released a statement which runs.

"On February 23 the Police of the Republic of Armenia detained former
Deputy Prosecutor General Gagik Jhangirian. Jhangiryan is arrested.

Ex-minister of National Income Smbat Aivazyan detained on February 24
is also arrested. He is charged under Article 316.1 of the RA Penal
Code (Violence against representative of Government)."

ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT RELIEVES GAGIK JANGIRIAN OF DEPUTY PROSECUTOR GENERAL’S POST

ARKA
Feb 25, 2008

YEREVAN, February 25. /ARKA/. Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian
relieved Gagik Jangirian of the post of Deputy Prosecutor General of
the country. Jangirian has also been stripped of his degree of first
class state justice counselor, the presidential press service reported.

The request for dismissal of Gagik Jangiarian was submitted
to the president by the country’s Prosecutor General Aghvan
Hovsepian. Jangirian violated the provision of the Law of Prosecutor’s
Office banning prosecutors from being involved in politics as the
day before he showed his support to the ex-president of Armenia Levon
Ter-Petrosian at an opposition rally.

Since February 20 rallies, sit-ins and student walkouts have been
held by the opposition in the center of Yerevan.

The initiators and participants of the opposition actions protest
against the results of the February 19 presidential elections
published by the Central Electoral Commission. According to the
results, the current Prime-Minister Serge Sargsian won the elections
with 52.86%. According to the Central Electoral Commission, opposition
candidate Ter-Petrosian obtained 21.5% of the votes.

ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT DISCUSSES STABILIZATION OF POLITICAL SITUATION IN COUNTRY AT MEETING WITH MANAGEMENT OF NATIONAL SECURITY SERVICE

ARKA
Feb 25, 2008

YEREVAN, February 25. /ARKA/. Armenia’s President discussed issues on
stabilizing the political situation in the country during his meeting
with the management of the National Security Service (NSS).

Robert Kocharian considered the current situation as an attempt of
seizure of power and said that the response will be definite and rough.

"Under no condition the stability of the country is an item for trade,"
the President said. He also gave the respective instructions.

The high ranking officials of the NSS assured the president that all
the divisions of the NSS are ready to fully implement the instructions.

Since February 20 rallies, sit-ins and student walkouts have been
held by the opposition in the center of Yerevan.

The initiators and participants of the opposition actions protest
against the results of the February 19 presidential elections
published by the Central Electoral Commission. According to the
results, the current Prime-Minister Serge Sargsian won the elections
with 52.86%. According to the Central Electoral Commission, opposition
candidate Ter-Petrosian obtained 21.5% of the votes.

Agence France Presse
Feb 21 2008

Jordan rejects charge of crackdown on expat Christians
6 hours ago

AMMAN (AFP) – Parliament on Thursday slammed a media report that
Jordan has increased pressure on expatriate Christians, a day after
Amman said foreigners had been deported for illegal missionary
activity.

"We categorically condemn and reject the false report which is aimed
at damaging Muslim-Christian relations in Jordan," the 110-member
lower house of parliament said.

In January a Christian news agency, Compass Direct News, said that
last year Jordan deported or refused residence permits to at least 27
expatriate Christian families and individuals, including Americans,
Europeans, South Koreans, Egyptians, Sudanese and Iraqis.

The agency quoted some deportees as saying that Jordanian
intelligence officers had questioned them over "evangelism of
Muslims."

Jordan acknowledged the deportations on Wednesday.

Acting Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told parliament that the
authorities had deported several expatriates for breaking the law and
preaching illegally "under the cover of doing charity" work.

Converting from Islam to Christianity is not allowed in Muslim
conservative Jordan and foreign missionary groups are banned from
seeking converts.

The lower house insisted that "Christians in Jordan are an integral
part of the society," holding posts in parliament, the government and
the armed forces and "living in peace and harmony with their Muslim
brothers."

But the deportees, in said in a statement, aimed to undermine these
ties.

"After the kingdom opened its doors to some groups to do charitable
work, they began missionary activities in cheap ways that feed
religious feuding and threaten national security," it said.

Last week Jordan’s Council of Churches, representing the country’s
Christian community, warned about what it called 40 "sects" in the
kingdom.

It said the actions of the sects, which it did not identify,
"threaten the security of the country" and "create religious discord
at the heart of the Christian community and between Muslims and
Christians".

Jordan’s Christian community is estimated to number around four
percent of the 5.8-million-strong population and comprises Greek
Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Armenians and Latins.

Anand draws with Ivanchuk, maintains lead

>From Our Chess Correspondent

Morelia (Mexico), Feb 24 (PTI) World Champion Viswanathan Anand played
out a draw with Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine to maintain his sole lead
after the end of the Morelia stint of the Morelia-Linares chess
tournament here.

The Indian ace played it safe with white after Ivanchuk carried out a
fine counter play in the middle game and even though the other three
games ended decisively, it did not hamper Anand’s status as the sole
leader as nearest rival Levon Aronian of Armenia was outdone by Magnus
Carlsen of Norway in a classic.

On a day when former World champion Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria made
most of the opportunities against a luck-less Peter Leko of Hungary,
Latvian-born Spaniard Alexei Shirov also played imaginatively to beat
Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan.

At the half way stage in the category-21 event among eight players,
Anand had 4.5 points to his credit and was followed by Topalov and
Shirov a half point behind.

Another half point adrift were Carlsen and Aronian with 3.5 points each
while Radjabov and Ivanchuk were now joint fifth on three points
apiece. With just 2.5 points in his kitty, Leko was at the bottom of
the tables.

The remaining seven rounds of the event will be played at Linares in
Spain from February 28.

Anand faced the Sicilian defense from Ivanchuk who opted for a
Scheveningen set up. In the middle game, Anand rolled his king side
pawns for a probable attack but the Ukrainian kept himself in
contention with some timely manoeuvres leading to exchanges. PTI

LEVON TER-PETROSYAN: SADDAM HUSSEIN WAS BORN IN ARMENIA

Lragir
21:12:02 – 24/02/2008

Two hours ago the government made another foolish mistake, stated Levon
Ter-Petrosyan on February 24 at the Square of Freedom at about 7 pm,
informing the participants of the rally that the Central Election
Commission has declared Serge Sargsyan president of the Republic of
Armenia.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan said we can congratulate us that the bandit state
has another illegitimate president. However, Levon Ter-Petrosyan says
Serge Sargsyan who declares himself president against the will of
people will not be able to rule the country, the proud, courageous and
heroic Armenian people.

According to Levon Ter-Petrosyan, for Serge Sargsyan it is a night’s
dream. I cannot imagine that the international observers will accept
the results of the election if they care about their international
reputation, Levon Ter-Petrosyan said. In this connection, Levon
Ter-Petrosyan recalled his yesterday’s speech about the Western
organizations and countries that they do not want to have a democratic
government in Armenia, otherwise they would not silence the outrageous
election. Levon Ter-Petrosyan said the popular movement adopts Western
values not out of love for the West but because considers them as the
only way of becoming a member of the international family, a developed
and civilized country.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan says they are not a pupil learning democracy for
the West to praise them. According to Ter-Petrosyan, unlike the West
which has inherited democracy from its ancestors, the Armenian people
have built democracy themselves, in 1988, when they go acquainted with
the prisons of the Soviet Union. In this sense, Levon Ter-Petrosyan
thinks it is even immoral when the West wants to teach us democracy
when they hinder building democracy in this country.

We do not need the West to teach us democracy, we need a sincere
assessment of the outrageous election, Levon Ter-Petrosyan says,
otherwise, he says they will doubt the sincerity of the international
community.

Ter-Petrosyan says the world powers mainly prefer to maintain the
status quo in different countries for political end, describing it as
stability. However, the present situation, according to Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, is a kind of stability which gives birth to a Saddam
Hussein. Today a Saddam Hussein was born in Armenia, Levon
Ter-Petrosyan stated. He said he wants to prevent Europe from making a
mistake, otherwise if Europe silences the birth of Saddam Hussein, it
will later have to establish democracy in Armenia through tanks. At the
same time, Levon Ter-Petrosyan said he does not doubt that the West
will make a sincere assessment of this abnormal situation.

SPECIAL OPINION OF ARF DASHNAKTSUTYUN

Lragir
20:47:50 – 24/02/2008

The chair of the Central Election Commission of Armenia has released
the final result of the vote on February 19. According to the CEC, the
turnout is 1,671,027. Serge Sargsyan got 862,369, Levon Ter-Petrosyan
got 351,222, Arthur Baghdasaryan got 272,427, Vahan Hovanisyan got
100,966 votes:

The representatives of the Heritage Party and the Orinats Yerkir Party
were not present at the meeting. All the six members present at the
meeting have signed the final results, including the ARF Dashnaktsutyun
whose representative Hamlet Abrahamyan expressed a special opinion. The
special opinion of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun will probably be written in
the golden book of the traditional party. `The irregularities that I
mentioned in the special opinion I voiced, as well as the election
bribe rooted in the election system of the Republic of Armenia since
1995, violence and shortcomings convince me that the election system of
the Republic of Armenia needs serious and fundamental reforms,’ said
the representative of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun, Radio Liberty reports.

Kocharyan promises to ensure law ands order in Armenia

23.02.2008, 18.02

YEREVAN, February 23 (Itar-Tass) — Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
promised to take all measures to maintain law and order in the country.

He said so during a meeting with the senior officers of the Armenian
Armed Forces on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the radical opposition is holding protests and an open-ended
sit-in in the centre of the city and have set up tents in Freedom
Square in front of the Yerevan Opera Theatre.

The opposition insists that its candidate, Armenia’s first President
Levon Ter-Petrosyan won the February 19 presidential election in the
country and refused to recognise official preliminary results announced
by the Central Election Commission, according to which Prime Minister
Serzh Sarkisyan won the election.

According to preliminary data, Sarkisyan got 52.86 percent of votes
(863,544 electors) in the Armenian election held on February 19, Levon
Ter-Petrosyan got 21.5 percent (351,306 people) and Artur Bagdasaryan
16.6 percent (272,256 people). The final results will be made public
seven days after the election.